Nicosia, Oct 29 Real Estate Developer Limitless, part of the Dubai World Conglomerate, has invited construction firms to submit bids for the second phase of earthworks on the 11 billion dollars Arabian Canal project.

The contract involves the excavation of about 300 million cubic meters of earth along an 8.5 kilometre stretch of the canal's route.

The 75 km-long Arabian Canal waterway, which will be up to 150 metres wide and six meters deep, will start near the Dubai Marina area, flowing inland around the planned Jebel Ali International Airport and will enter the sea once again at the outer end of the Palm Jebel Ali.

The Arabian Canal has been described as the largest and most complex civil engineering project ever undertaken in the Middle East.

The invitation of the bids by Limitless follows the appointment in September of Abu Dhabi-based Tristar for phase one, where 100,000 cubic metres of earth is being moved each day and more than 200 million cubic metres will be excavated in total.

Ian Raine, Project Director, Arabian Canal, said: "This is the second of ten packages that will be awarded for the excavation of the 75km waterway. Work is well underway on phase one, with 200 of the world's biggest bulldozers, dump trucks and compacting machines on site. The excavated earth will be re-used to form new landscapes in the form of hills and valleys alongside the Canal, where we are master planning a 50 bn dollars, 12,500 hectare city for 2.5 million people." (ANI)